Greater Than Tech: How Andy Grammer’s Tour Reflects the Power of Human Care in Medicine
Last night, I had the privilege of attending a one-man show by Andy Grammer, and I was utterly moved by the level of artistry, vulnerability, and human connection on display. It wasn’t just a performance; it was an experience that transcended the usual boundaries of entertainer and audience. From the moment he stepped on stage, Grammer made it clear that this wasn’t going to be a passive experience. He drew everyone in with a mix of love, joy, and reflection that felt deeply authentic.
The way he invited the audience to share in that vulnerability was nothing short of remarkable. At times, it felt as though we were all part of a shared moment of human understanding — stripped down, unfiltered, real. People stepped into the light, literally and figuratively, sharing stories, dancing, laughing, and reflecting on their own lives. Joy, gratitude, and self-reflection intertwined seamlessly in a way that was both uplifting and grounding.
It reminded me of medicine — those moments where, as a doctor, you are so connected to your patient and their family that everything else fades away. The hum of machinery, the technology, the sterile facilities, the relentless noise — they all fall into the background. All that remains is human connection, the kind that makes you remember why you entered the profession in the first place. It’s a sacred space, where two human beings meet in the rawness of life’s uncertainty, and the transaction is not just one of knowledge or skill, but of empathy, compassion, and care.
But last night’s performance also sparked another thought. Even though Andy Grammer’s connection with the audience felt so raw and intimate, I couldn’t help but think about the technology running quietly behind the scenes. The lighting, sound, and timing were so perfectly synchronized — no doubt powered by AI algorithms, robotics, and complex software systems. It got me wondering: What would healthcare look like if we fully optimized technology to enable that same kind of connection?
We often hear about the potential of technology in healthcare, but the reality falls short of what’s truly needed. Patient portals, with their frustrating navigation and clunky design, often leave patients resorting to phone calls to resolve issues. Medical records, once seen as the key to seamless care, generate endless pages of notes that can contain errors, making it difficult to capture a patient’s full story. Even the most advanced tools, instead of simplifying care, sometimes end up being more of a hindrance than a help.
What if, instead, technology in healthcare was like the unseen hand behind Andy’s show — there, but unobtrusive, enabling human connection rather than distracting from it? The goal wouldn’t be to overwhelm patients and providers with more data, more screens, or more tasks. Instead, it would be about allowing the doctor, the caregiver, the nurse to be exactly who they are — a human being, with skills honed through years of dedication, serving another human being with the same love and attention.
Imagine a healthcare system where technology quietly supports the caregiver, taking on the tasks that don’t require human empathy — charting, scheduling, billing — leaving the caregiver free to do what they do best: connect, listen, and heal.
Technology should serve as the invisible hand that enhances human connection, not as a barrier to it.
We’re already starting to see hints of this in emerging technologies, but we’ve yet to fully realize its potential. There is reason for optimism. CIOs and CMIOs are increasingly recognizing the importance of incorporating both patient and clinician experiences into their strategic and operational planning. Many are now exploring the use of ambient AI scribes, which unobtrusively capture conversations between doctors and patients. I recently had the chance to trial one of these technologies, Ambience, and the results were nothing short of remarkable. I designed a complex clinical scenario — a 17-year-old female with the rare CLOVES Syndrome, presenting with an abscess from an impacted wisdom tooth — and the system performed flawlessly.
AI, is not about replacing doctors with machines, nor is it about drowning them in data. It’s about creating space for the magic that happens when two people meet in a moment of vulnerability and trust. Just as Andy Grammer used technology to deepen his connection with the audience, healthcare could use technology to strengthen the bond between caregiver and patient.
In the end, whether it’s music or medicine, the heart of the matter is the same. We are all, fundamentally, humans trying to connect, to care, and to understand one another. Technology should enhance that connection, not detract from it. It’s time we started thinking about how to make that a reality in healthcare — so that the moments of human connection, where everything else fades into the background, are not the exception, but the norm.
Salim Afshar MD
If you’re interested in learning more about how to leverage technology in your healthcare setting, or if you’d like to explore what others are doing and what we at Reveal HealthTech are working on, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect. Feel free to reach out to me directly — let’s continue the conversation on how we can use technology to enhance human connection and improve care.
